TULIP GEMS

THE SABBATH AND THE MILLENNIUM

 

 

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

 

 

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

 

 

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.    2 Peter 3:7-9

 

 

 

The context of the second epistle of Peter, chapter 3, is the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the age.  He is writing to believers, as we can see in verse 1 of this same chapter, where we read:

 

 

This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you;

 

 

In it, he warns about scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and questioning the Second Coming of Christ.

 

 

 

NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH

 

 

He tells believers that God is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any of his elect believers should perish, but that all of us (elect believers) should come to repentance.  Yes, we as believers need to repent of all sin.

 

 

The proof that Peter is talking to believers about repentance and godly living can be seen in the verses that follow:

 

 

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

 

 

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

 

 

Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  2 Peter 3:10-12

 

 

God is not (and never was) trying to save every one.  He can and will save all those whom He has chosen and given the gift of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.  And they, as believers, need to continue to repent of sin.

 

 

Since this Scriptural truth is so often rejected, scorned and denied by those who claim to believe the Bible, we’ll simply give three verses that prove it:

 

 

 Matthew 1:21   And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

 

 

 John 17:2   As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

 

 

 John 17:9   I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

 

 

 

SIX DAYS OF LABOR AND A SEVENTH DAY OF REST

 

 

The Apostle Peter, moved by the Holy Spirit, in verse 8, gives us Scriptural verification of a view which was commonly held by the ancient Rabbis and by the early Church "fathers."

 

 

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

 

 

One day is with the Lord as a thousand years"—the seven days of Genesis one are to be regarded as a definition of the duration of earth’s history, i. e., six thousand years of toil and labor under the curse of sin followed by a thousand years of rest and peace, the Sabbath-day thus pointing forward to the Seventh Millennium.

 

 

Some would argue that our Lord Jesus said that no man knows the day or the hour of His Second Coming.

 

 

To which we answer, “True.”  But our Lord also said: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.  Matthew 24:23

 

 

In other words, while no one can predict the exact day or hour, we can still know the general time period of our Lord’s Second Coming.  And Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us one way to do it in verse 8.

 

 

Others will argue that the since Creation was about 6,000 years ago (about 4,000 B.C.) and the year 2,000 A.D. is already past, without our Lord’s Return, this theory of a Seventh Day (Millennium) is proven false.

 

 

What those who make this argument are forgetting is this—you don’t count the six “days” (six thousand years) of toil and labor under the curse of sin from the Creation.  You begin counting from the Fall of Man into Sin.

 

 

 

WHEN DID ADAM FALL INTO SIN?

 

 

So, when exactly did Adam and Eve’s Fall into Sin occur?  The Bible is silent on the exact timing of that sad event.

 

 

Therefore, many will then argue, even if your Seventh Millennium theory is true, we still can’t know the general time of Christ’s Return from it.  Why?—because the Bible doesn’t tell us when the Fall of Man into Sin occurred.

 

 

Many Reformed preachers have gone on to teach that Christ could return tomorrow, or a thousand years from now, we simply cannot know.

 

This line of reasoning by these Reformed preachers is incorrect.  The Fall of Man into Sin occurred before the birth of Seth:

 

 

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth  Genesis 5:3

 

 

Adam was one hundred and thirty years old (one hundred and thirty years from the Creation) when Seth was born.  Therefore, the Fall of Man into Sin occurred sometime within the first 130 years after Creation.

 

 

And we can narrow it down much more than that from another verse of Scripture:

 

 

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.  Genesis 4:25

 

 

Cain wickedly slew Abel, before Seth was even born.  And Cain was born after the Fall of Adam and Eve into Sin.  Therefore, the Fall of Man occurred sometime between the Creation and the birth of Cain.

 

 

If Cain had time to grow into manhood and slay Abel before Adam was 130 years old (at the birth of Seth), then the Fall of Man into Sin occurred soon after the Creation.

 

 

How soon?  No one knows for sure.  But we know it was long before Adam was 130 years old.

 

 

So, what is the point of all these calculations?  Simply this—we are in the general time of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He will return soon, not a thousand years from now.

 

 

Counting from the Fall of Man into Sin, six “days” (millenniums) of toil and labor under the curse of sin is almost over today, in 2015.

 

 

The Seventh “Day” Millennial Sabbath will begin very soon with the Return of Christ to earth, in power and great glory, to judge the living and the dead.

 

 

 

NO MAN KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR

 

 

No man knows the day or hour of His Return, just as no man knows the day or hour of the Fall of Man into Sin.

 

 

But we do know the general time period of the Fall of Man into Sin.  It occurred long before Adam was 130 years old.

 

 

And, therefore, we do know the general time period of the Second Coming of Christ.  It will be after 6,000 years of toil and labor under the curse of sin.  We started counting from the Fall, not the Creation.

 

 

The seventh day Sabbath points to the Seventh Millennium of peace and rest in Christ at His physical, bodily, visible Return to Earth.

 

 

Hallelujah! We’re almost there.

 

 

So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.  Matthew 24:23

 

 

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  2 Peter 3:8

 

 

 

The Sabbath and the Transfiguration by A.W. Pink